MIAMI – The Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball team (5-24, 1-17 in Conference USA) was unable to pull out the victory in the team’s final game of the regular season, dropping to FIU (14-15, 6-12 in C-USA) in Miami. FAU was down by just four at the half, but was outscored 37-25 in the second to fall 72-56. The Owls will look to bounce back at the C-USA Championship next week. The full bracket will be announced tonight at the conclusion of all regular season games across the league.
HOW IT WAS DECIDED
1Q
The Owls started things off on a 4-0 run, but FIU quickly pulled ahead with five unanswered points for a 5-4 advantage 2:30 into the contest. FIU took a three-point advantage after two free throws, but Rita Pleskevich nailed a 3-pointer to tie the score at 9-9. The Panthers would then cruise on an 8-0 run, and each time FAU scored, the Panthers would respond. Following a Bre Beck driving layup, the Panthers answered with one of their own, as the Owls trailed by nine going into the final minute of the quarter. With time winding down, Pleskevich hit a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to cut the FIU lead to six, 22-16.
2Q
FIU pulled back ahead by two with a jumper, but a 6-0 run by FAU, capped off by an Alexa Zaph triple, inched the Owls within two, 24-22, with 6:18 left in the half. The Panthers would bounce back on a 6-2 run, but Pleskevich’s two free throws cut the deficit to four. After FIU sunk a triple, Simona Henshaw responded with a driving layup. Nikola Ozola buried a triple at the buzzer, as the Owls trailed 35-31 at halftime. FAU outscored FIU 15-13 in the frame.
3Q
FIU commenced the second half on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 10 points in the opening minutes. Amber Gaston delivered the Owls’ first basket in the second half with a layup and Janeta Rozentale followed with a layup, while being fouled in the process. FAU trailed 41-36 with 7:02 left in the third. FAU then fell in a scoring drought for over two minutes while FIU cruised on a 10-0 run to elevated ahead by 15 points, 50-36, with 1:35 left in the third. The Owls were outscored 17-9 in the third to trail 52-40 going into the final 10 minutes of the game.
4Q
The Panthers extended their led to 17 off a jumper, but the Owls got their first points of the fourth off a Henshaw layup. Zaph started to heat up, tallying nine of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. The Owls were down by as many as 18 with 3:24 remaining, but FAU outscored FIU by a slight 8-6 advantage in the final minutes of the game to fall, 72-56.
GAME NOTES
- Zaph led the Owls with 14 points on 6-for-12 shooting from the field, 2-for-4 from beyond the arc
- Gaston tallied 10 points with six rebounds
- Pleskevich registered double digits with 10 points and six boards
- Ozola recorded her first start of the season and logged 31 minutes
UP NEXT
The official C-USA Championship bracket will be announced this evening following the end of all regular season league games.
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